Never Judge a Book by its Cover
by TwilightofFate
Summary: Starting at High School, Nina found out that she was classed as a Soc. Meeting Ponyboy, she hopes that he can see past their social classes. Story is better than Summary. R&R Please!
1. First day at Will Roger's High School

**Disclaimer: I am not S.E Hinton and do not own The Outsiders (Well, I do own a copy of the book, muwhahah). All the characters belong to her except any characters that you are unfamiliar with, which are owned by me and any unfamiliar plot.**

**Author's note: This is my first time writing a Fanfic so be gentle. Read and Review and tell me what you think. Your ideas and comments are welcome. Oh, and this story begins on the first day of school, 1965(I think the movie said it was based on 1966, this is a year prior to the books events). Enjoy!**

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It was the beginning of the school year. Summer had just ended, and Nina Ambrosia would be joining Will Roger's High School just like the many other freshmen. Her father had just dropped her off, extra early, wishing her good luck and to take care. He knew that she could handle herself, even if this was her first time going to a public school – She had been going to a boarding school since she was 5. 

Nina glanced up at the tall building, towering over her. Her bright green eyes sparkled as she admired the architecture. She brushed her long hazel brown hair to the side and slowly walked into the school building, trying to drag her large backpack full of all her textbooks, whilst she still looked up.

There was no one in the corridor, and the lights were not on yet. It was a relief for Nina. Arriving at 7 o'clock had its benefits. She could look around before anyone arrived, that was if she could find her designated locker first.

Nina opened up her backpack and took out a small piece of paper. Written on it was her locker- #216 and the combination to her lock. Nina walked through the dark corridor and took a turn to discover another corridor with lockers #200-250. She found her locker there. It was pretty damaged and beaten-up, but not as harshly as the lockers next to hers.

Nina tried her combination on the lock multiple times, but to no avail did it open. Frustrated, Nina gently banged her head into her locker door. The sound echoed through the corridor.

"What a surprise, an early bird on the first day back!" said a deep and cheery voice from behind her. Nina jumped up, startled and turned to look at the stranger.

"Good Morning. My name is Nina Ambrosia and I'm a freshman." Nina said in a polite, but still startled voice. The stranger looked to be a man in his early 30s. He looked at her and smiled. Nina simply started to fidget her glasses gently, a habit of hers when she was shy or embarrassed, particularly by someone who was of higher authority.

"Nina Ambrosia? Oh, that's right, you're one of the many new students to join us this year. I'm Mr. Syme. You signed up for advanced English right? I'll be your teacher for the rest of this year. How do you do?" said the man, looking at her unopened locker. "Seems you're having trouble opening your locker. May I be of assistance?" Nina nodded, trying not to look too helpless.

"I wasn't sure which way to enter my combination" Nina said, looking at her combination lock.

"Oh, Is that all? Just turn the handle to the right when you enter your first number. Then to the left for the second and back to the right for your third and pull the lock down."

Nina did as he had said, and the lock did open. Nina felt like a child, having not being able to open the lock earlier. Mr. Syme smiled at her and told her that he'd be seeing her in the assembly hall when the bell rang, with all the other students.

Nina managed to carefully assemble all her textbooks into her small locker. To kill time, she took out _Great Expectations_, a book that she would be studying in English, but decided to read it for fun because she just happened to like reading in general, as she leaned against her locker. She got up to page 5 before she was interrupted by a wave of laughter coming down the hall. A guy was sluggishly walking down the corridor with a girl on his back, ramming against the walls as if drunk. The boy had slick combed brown hair and was wearing a sleeveless shirt with the Mickey Mouse logo on it and worn out jeans. The girl on his back had curly blonde hair and denim pants with a white T-shirt and a denim jacket. Both looked like seniors to her. They were laughing as they continued on down the corridor. When they saw Nina, they stopped laughing and stared as they continued on. Nina tried smiling cheerful, even though she was a bit shy, but was replied with one cocked eyebrow by the boy and a dirty look by the blonde.

Nina didn't comprehend what just happened, and looked back at her book. Not to soon was she interrupted again by more voices. She looked down the corridor and saw that students had finally showed up and were heading to their lockers. The freshmen in particular were looking around for where their designated lockers were. A beautiful girl with bright red hair wearing a yellow cardigan and creamy orange skirthad walked up to Nina and stopped next to her.

"Oh, sorry" Nina said, moving to the side. The redhead opened the locker to the right of Nina's.

"Hi there. You must be a freshman. I'm Sherri. Sherri Valance, but my friends call my Cherry because of my hair," the redhead said, grinning at Nina.

"O-Oh, Hello. I'm Nina Ambrosia. And yes, I'm a freshman" Nina replied politely. She fidgeted with her glasses again. The redhead smiled at her and looked at what she was wearing. "You must be one of us," she said, looking at the way Nina was dressed. She wore a black dress that had white frills at the end of her sleeves and neck. The dress went a bit past her thighs, and there were more white frills that extended down to her knees. She also had white stockings and wore a pair of polished black schoolgirl shoes. Nina didn't understand what Cherry meant by that remark, but that was answered unexpectedly.

"Soc" shouted a scruffy looking boy between coughs as he walked down past the two girls. Nina stood there, completely dumb struck.

"I'm guessing you must be an out-of-towner. A Soc is the slang way of describing the Socials, the upper class of Tulsa; You and me," Cherry said, reading Nina's expression. "That boy was a Greaser. In other words – A Hood. You should watch out for Greasers like him. They're mostly the underprivileged East Side kids and they don't like us Socs." Nina looked puzzled. _I'm a Soc?_ She thought. Nina had never really had a title or ever fitted to any particular group back at her boarding school. Mostly, she was just too shy to be a part of one. Cherry stopped the conversation there and started to fiddle around with the books in her locker.

Soon enough, the corridors and hallways were full of returning students from over the long summer holidays. People were yelling and shouting, greeting each other and going on about how great or how horrible their holiday was. The freshmen just stood in their friendship groups from Junior High. A girl Nina's age walked up to the locker on her left. The girl was wearing jeans and a T-shit with groovy colours on it. Her earth coloured hair was short and bounced when she took steps. The girl looked down at the book still in Nina's hand.

"Howdy! You're reading _Great Expectations_! That's so neat! I'm Millis Rowett," said the girl with a cheery southern accent.

"Hello. I'm Nina Ambrosia, Nice to meet you." Nina felt like a record player that just kept repeating the same song over and over. "I'm not supposed to read this book till we study it in English, but I just love all the works by Charles Dickens, not to mention books in general". Millis' jaw dropped.

"Wow! I thought I was going to be the only book worm startin' this year" she replied with joy in her voice. Millis hugged Nina, who dropped her book by the sudden gesture. Nina giggled and picked up her book and put a bookmark at the page where she stopped, placing it neatly into her locker.

Millis cracked open her combination lock as if she had done it many times before. As she opened her locker, a whole heap of scrunched up papers, apple cores and blunt pencils fell out onto her. Cherry let a giggle out and walked off waving to the two. Nina just looked at Millis who had her eyes wide open.

"Oh great. They gave me a friggin' garbage bin". Nina sighed and started helping Millis pick up the mess and put it into a nearby trash bin. A few juniors passing by giggled as they watched Nina and Millis clean the mess. One boy in particular told Nina not to get her dress dirty. She cheeks got red from embarrassment. Millis knew he was being rude to her, and would have loved to hit him for her. Nina saw the expression on her face, and realized that this girl was tough, which was a good thing in a way, but stopped her from doing so.

"I think we should be heading to the assembly hall now" Nina told Millis once the rubbish had been picked up. Nina and Millis locked their lockers and headed down the hall followed by freshmen and returning students. Nina took a sharp turn to the right and bumped into someone, falling straight back onto the floor, her glasses sliding off her face and landing on the floor.

"Hey, are you alright?." Said a voice ruefully. The person helped Nina up, and Millis gave Nina her glasses. Nina put them straight on and stared at the person. He was a boy who couldn't have been older than 14. He had gentle greyish green eyes, and light brown hair that was greased and combed to the back.

"Shoot, Ponyboy, why do you care? She's just another one of 'em Socs," commented a boy with slick oily hair that was combed in complicated swirls, leaning against the wall next to a boy with golden hair and a movie star smile. Nina felt her ears get hot. It was the second time that morning that she was addressed as something that she didn't even truly know she was until Cherry had informed her. Nina looked back at the boy who helped her up.

"Oh, no. It was my fault. I'm terribly sorry. I should have been looking where I was going" Nina said politely. Millis stared at her in utter disbelief.

"Nina! It was his fault and you know it." Millis yelled at Nina, then turned towards the boy with the slick hair. "And you. Shut your mouth greaser and learn some manners or two." Millis grabbed Nina by the arm and marched her down the hall to the assembly room. Nina looked back at the boy sympathetically. She wished that little incident had gone a lot better.

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**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. More to come : D The next chapter starts getting a bit exciting, or at least builds up the plot. Thanks to my friends for giving me ideas. And just normal things that happen during the day :P**


	2. Yeah I'm a Soc

**Disclaimer: I am not S.E Hinton and do not own The Outsiders (Well, I do own a copy of the book, muwhahah). All the characters belong to her except any characters that you are unfamiliar with, which are owned by me and any unfamiliar plot.**

**Author's note: This is my first time writing a Fanfic so be gentle. Read and Review and tell me what you think. Your ideas and comments are welcome. **

**I'll try making this chapter a bit longer. No promises. If I don't, I'll just make more chapters **

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"Welcome back everyone. I hope your summer holidays were enjoyable." Said Mr. Vector, the principle, up on the stage over the microphone. Everyone had been seated in the assembly hall and the bell had just rung. Nina was sitting next to a bunch of junior Soc boys who kept eying her with hungry eyes. Nina felt really uncomfortable.

"Hey there doll face, how about you take that skimpy little dress off for me some time?" said the Soc boy on her right. Nina felt like a bone that was going to be passed around a pack of hungry dogs. She poked Millis and asked if they could swap seats, and they did. As she sat down next to another Soc girl, someone tapped her shoulder from the back. It was Cherry. She was sitting directly behind Nina now, but at first didn't notice her till she stood up to change seats.

"Hey Nina, this is my friend Marcia"

"Oh, Hello. How are you?" Nina replied quietly.

"Bored! Can't wait till he gets over and done with it!" Marcia said.

Nina giggled. She smiled at Cherry and turned back to listen to Mr. Vector. Nina actually thought that it was boring too, but the effort was worthwhile and his effort should be respected, just like how all teachers should be.

"… And so I wish all our students a prosperous year, full of academic achievement from all" Mr. Vector turned to the teachers "Anyone like to add anything?" They all shook their heads, except for Mr. Syme. He got up and took the stand.

"I'd just like to inform everyone that the Book Club will operate on Wednesdays during lunchtime in the Library, so come if you're interested". Mr. Syme stood down and Mr. Vector took the stand again.

"So without further ado, you're all dismissed and can now head on to your first classes".

"Hey, I'll meet you later in Social Studies, 'Kay?" Millis told Nina whilst they were getting their textbooks from their lockers.

"Alright, I'll look forward to it" Nina replied walking off to her first class – English. She was actually excited as she headed off to D4, her English classroom. She had always held English as her favourite subject. Maybe that was because she liked reading and using her literacy skills, who knows?

Nina surprisingly wasn't the first student there in the class. There was a Socy looking boy sitting in the front of the class, and a group of Socy girls sitting on the right side of the room. In the back, the scruffy looking boy who called her a Soc earlier had his feet on his desk. Nina realized that this boy was most likely a greaser, from what Cherry had described to her. Nina took a seat at the desk to the left of the Socy girls. After a few minutes, Mr. Syme walked in, and the rest of the desks became occupied, except for one to the left of Nina.

"Alright everyone" Mr. Syme began "I am Mr. – Oh hello Mr. Curtis, it's good to have you join us." Everyone looked at the door. There stood the boy whom Nina had bumped into earlier that morning. "Please take a seat," Mr. Syme said, pointing towards the desk to Nina's left. The boy walked to the desk and looked at Nina. She simply gave him a shy smile and looked back to Mr. Syme.

"As I was saying, I am Mr. Syme and I will be your English teacher for the rest of the year. I am looking forward to teaching you all, and hopefully you will gain something out of this class," he said, looking at the greaser boy at the back in particular, who took his feet of the desk. "Now, I'd like you all to introduce yourselves, starting with" Mr. Syme looked at the top of the roll list. "Nina Ambrosia".

Nina looked around the room for a split second, then stood up from her desk, adjusted her glasses and started.

"Well, I'm Nina. I'm 12 and my birthday is on Valentines Day. I have been attending St. Mary's Boarding School for Girls since I was 5 and I love the classic works by Charles Dickens, Shakespeare and many others." She finished and sat down. Next it was Jessica Brown's turn, the Soc on her left.

"Yeah, I'm Jessica. _Only_ my friends can call me Jess. My daddy works as a judge and says I can choose my own car when I turn 16 and lets me have anything that I want. And um… I like so love The Beatles! And Paul McCartney is such a doll!"

"Next… Ponyboy Curtis" said Mr. Syme. A few of the girls giggled upon hearing the name, and thought that Mr. Syme was joking. Nina thought it sounded unique and actually liked it.

"What kind of a loser name is that?" Jessica rudely interrupted; the soc girls started laughing so hard that they almost fell of their chairs, a few other members of the class giggled quietly. Ponyboy's ears reddened as he stood up and looked down at his feet.

"It's a unique name, and it sounds lovely. That's what type of a name it is." Nina stood up for Ponyboy. "And now I know that any girl by the name of Jessica or _Jess_" Nina continued in a mocking voice, "is just a rude, spoiled to death brat that has nothing better to do than make others feel uncomfortable!" Nina was infuriated by her lack of decency. This was one of the rare occasions when Nina was brave enough to speak to someone in front of a crowd. Jessica's mouth was wide open. The girls sitting with her had their eyes wide open. Nina sat back down and stared at her desk.

"S-sir!" Jessica yelled at Mr. Syme as if she wanted to tell on Nina.

"Enough Ms. Brown. Let Mr. Curtis go on" he replied bitterly.

Ponyboy looked at Nina. His ears returned to their normal colour, but his cheeks went crimson red.

"I, ah… I like going down to the Nightly Double every now and then and I live with my two brothers, Sodapop and Darrel" Ponyboy finished hastily and sat down.

"You forgot that you're a Greaser too" said a Soc boy, sitting behind Jessica.

"And what if he is? You got a problem with that?" said the scruffy looking boy who had his feet on his desk earlier. "I'll go next and ya'll over there better keep quiet," he said, looking to the right of the room, particularly in Jessica's direction.

"The names Louis and you better show some respect. I'm only here because I'm failing all my other subjects, and Mr. Vector said I'll pass this year if I can behave well here". Mr. Syme looked at Louis as if he understood everything that he said. That was the type of person that Mr. Syme was. He generally seemed interested in everyone when he looked directly at him or her. Nina thought she already liked him as her teacher.

People continued to introduce themselves; the girls on the left side of the room had basically just changed around what Jessica had said. The boy in the front row said his name was Nicholas and that he had been watching Star Trek since it appeared a few weeks back on HBO. Then the Soc boy who had interrupted before said his name was David and his father owned a chain of dime stores around Oklahoma. And once everyone had had their go; Mr. Syme set their homework for that night. It was to recite a poem the next day and give their views on what it meant.

After class, Nina walked up to Ponyboy as he headed for his next class, Geography.

"Hey Ponyboy. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you earlier. I just couldn't stand her talking to you like that." He looked at her for a moment, as if he was addressed by someone better than him, but then replied coolly "No, you didn't. But thanks anyway. I have to head on to Geography now". Nina smiled at him and replied, "I've got Social Studies myself, I'll see you later Ponyboy" and started to walk towards her Social Studies room. _Is she for real?_ Ponyboy thought. She sure wasn't acting like a Soc.

During Social Studies, Nina was glad to have Millis there. They sat together and discussed about their favourite authors, occasionally switching the conversation to their old favourite Elvis songs. Mrs. Harrison their Social Studies teacher had given the students a pop quiz on the Civil War, she wanted to know what they already knew about it. Nina, for one, didn't know a bit about it. That sort of thing wasn't taught at an all-Catholic girls school.

At Lunchtime, Nina and Millis had arrived in the cafeteria a little bit late. Once they had gotten their lunch, they realized that all the seats where the freshmen sat were taken.

"Hey Nina, Millis! Come sit with us!" shouted Marcia across the cafeteria. They walked over the table and sat down feeling awkward. They were sitting with juniors.

"How were your classes?" Cherry asked. Nina shrugged.

"I had Mr. Syme for English. I think he's a really good teacher". Cherry nodded her head.

"Yeah, I had him last year".

"And the year before that" Marcia added.

"I wonder where Bob and Randy are," Cherry said.

"They're probably stuck back in Maths. You know Ms. Bishop won't let them out until they finish their work" Marcia said.

"Whose Randy and Bob?" Millis asked. Marcia let out a laugh.

"Randy's my boyfriend. Bob is Cherry's"

"You've already got boyfriends?" Nina queried.

"Well, you've got to start some time, haven't ya?" Marcia replied.

As they sat eating, Nina told Millis about what happened in English.

"Wow, Lucky greaser, having a girl like you stand up for him" Millis said in-between bites of her salad sandwich.

"It wasn't like that. I just couldn't stand Jessica talking to him like that. You should have seen the look on her face when I snapped at her" Nina added.

"You'd better be careful though, you wouldn't want a greaser like him spoiling your reputation. You are a Soc, you know."

"Yeah… I'm a Soc" Nina said in a sarcastic tone.

After they finished lunch, they said their goodbyes to Cherry and Marcia, who regretted them not meeting their boyfriends. They walked towards their lockers. Nina read a bit more of _Great Expectations_ and Millis had to go to the Library to finish off her own English work.

After lunch, they had Art for the rest of the afternoon.

There were only 3 other Socs in their class, the rest were Greasers including Ponyboy. Nicholas like earlier was sitting in the front row with a friend, the other person was Jessica. She was intimidated by the Greaser crowd and decided to sit next to Millis and Nina.

"He's just a Greaser! You didn't have to make me look so bad in English!" Jessica whispered to Nina seriously. Nina looked back at Millis and shook her head. This girl just didn't get it.

"Don't worry, she wont try anything. She knows she's outnumbered here, and I wouldn't help her even if my life counted on it" Millis whispered to Nina. Nina smirked. It seemed Millis didn't seem to like Jessica either.

Their teacher, Ms. Peters instructed the class to draw anything that they wished.

Nina turned around to look at Ponyboy behind her. He was sitting in between two other Greasers who were throwing pencils at each other. She noticed he was drawing something bright and sunny. She thought it looked nice. She went back to concentrating on her work. She had managed to draw something that resembled a little forest hide-away. Jessica was drawing herself wearing a dressing gown and Millis impressed Nina by drawing a dinner table with food that looked almost real enough to eat.

The class seemed to pass quickly, and when the bell rang, everyone walked out as if they had just walked in.

"Need a ride?" Millis offered Nina. She shook her head and waved to Millis, as she entered her fathers Ford Galaxie Convertible. It was white, and there was a pair of bulls horns attached above the licence plate on the front. The car vroomed off and Nina walked over to a bench, waiting for her Father's blue Mustang Coupe to arrive and pick her up.

After a few minutes, her father had finally appeared. He parked a few spaces away from her. As Nina walked towards the car, she spotted Ponyboy coming out of the front entrance.

"Bye Ponyboy! See you tomorrow!" Nina yelled at Ponyboy, getting his attention and waved at him. She then walked up to the front passengers seat and got into the Mustang. She buckled up and the car drove off.

"How was your first day, sweetheart?" Her father asked her.

"It was… Interesting." She replied. And it was the truth.

"How so"

"Well… I found out that I'm a Soc."

"Yes, I was expecting that to happen. I remember when I was younger and when I first found that out too". Nina looked at her father…

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Would you have been the same way as you are now?"

"… I guess not…" Nina remembered how Cherry and Millis and even Jessica thought of Greasers. To Nina, before today, everyone was equal … but now… It all comes down to how she approaches it…

"Do you have any homework?"

"Yeah, I have to recite a poem for English. How was work, Dad?"

"The usual, filled in a few peoples teethes, gave three kids braces". Nina's father was a dentist. It was almost his hobby. He liked the idea of everyone having a nice smile. Because of him, Nina had incredibly straight and shiny white teeth. Though, if she were less shy, she'd grin more and reveal them more often.

When Nina got home, she went into the living room and looked at the big bookshelf for a bit.

_Frost… Frost… Got it_. Nina found what she was looking for, a book of poetry by Robert Frost. She took it back to her bedroom, jumped onto her mother's big family quilt on her bed and started reading it. She looked for a moving poem. There were hundreds, which of course all had a meaning to them.

"Fire and Ice… no… The Run away… no" Nina was looking at the poems, trying to find a good one.

"…No…Hmm… Nothing Gold Can Stay? Yes… Perfect"

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**The chapter ended up being longer than expected. Hope you enjoy it. Looking for feedback. Next chapter, I'm already working on it. People have been asking for romance. Can't promise anything, but I'll try what I can.**


	3. Nothing Gold Can Stay Part 1

_**Reviewing Feedback:**_

**LiveOnTheEdge: **Yeah, I didn't like them either. I swear to god, this is my first fanfic ever. Timmycheese can testify to that because she goes to my school :P and I am working on the romance part. If you're like Nina in real life, I'd sure want to meet you :D

**Kal's Gal:** Of course :P I'm hoping to go for around 15-20 chapters.

**OOoDancingQueenoOo:** Yeah, I think they do too.

**Serra's Evil Twin:** I tried my best to keep everyone in character.

**Timmycheese:** I do try and make her seem more independent, that was my idea for her anyway, but yet vulnerable at the same time. I'm trying not to make her seem too much like one of them perfect Mary-Sues (Kills Mary-Sue) :P and no, this story begins a month after Ponyboy's parents death. But I'll keep the plot also linear to the books.

**Sodaschick: **Good to hear that, and I will.

**lady rose 05: **Yes, they will.

**Qtpie4:** Thanks! Trying to do my best.

**Disclaimer: I am not S.E Hinton and do not own The Outsiders (Well, I do own a copy of the book, muwhahah). All the characters belong to her except any characters that you are unfamiliar with, which are owned by me and any unfamiliar plot. And I do not own Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay" or any other of his works (Fire and Ice etc).**

**Author's note: This is my first time writing a Fanfic so be gentle. Read and Review and tell me what you think. Your ideas and comments are welcome. **

**This chapter will start to tie Nina and Ponyboy together, that's what everyone wants, I guess. This is a long chapter, brace yourselves, ;**

**BIG QUESTION – ANSWER THIS IN REVIEW: I need to know if people want me to truly stick to the linear plot of the book. Like how Johnny and Ponyboy kill Bob one month after Ponyboy's birthday, which is like a month into the school year. If you want me to go to that exact degree, then the Fanfic will be cut down to around 6 chapters. If not, I can extend the date of Bob's death a bit later, which means I can get the story up to around 20 chapters. Need votes before Chapter 5. If you want me to go Linear, post "I go for Linear" in your reviews. If you want me to continue the way it's going and have Bob die later (he will eventually) post "Keep going your way". Thanks!**

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Earlier the next day, Nina's Dad dropped her off to school at 6:45am, even earlier than usual, but she was used to waking up early to attend school. He had to get in to work earlier that day, as the Board of Practitioners was going to inspect his dental clinic. 

Nina walked into the school, feeling slightly cold. The weatherman the night earlier had said that it would be warm and sunny throughout the whole day, so she decided to wear a red top with a black button up jumper and a black skirt to match her black beret.

Nina ran into the school and to her locker, hoping that that would warm her up. It did, but not that much. By now, opening her locker was pretty easy, thanks to Mr. Syme's tip. She opened the locker door, stood in front of her side door mirror and started to recite the poem that she had memorised the night before. She wanted it to sound good and as every bit as powerful as she had perceived it.

She recited it a few times into the mirror, and a few times in her mind. It seemed refined enough, so she stopped and looked at herself. She had an eyelash on her cheek. She gently got it with her index finger, made a wish and blew it away. _Good luck Daddy at work_. That was her wish. She smiled, and then froze. She saw something quickly move behind her in her reflection. She turned around, but nothing was there.

"Hello, anyone?" The school corridors were still dark. That pretty much meant that no teacher had arrived yet. She turned back and went as white as a sheet. There stood a tall boy, the Soc boy who had harassed her during the school assembly the day before. Her eyes widened. The boy pushed her against her locker with his body.

"It's you. There's something I've been meaning to do since yesterday," he said, exhaling a toxic odour out of his mouth onto Nina. He was drunk. Nina was terrified. She started to wail but he put one hand over her mouth, and with the other took out a silver canister out of his pocket. He opened up the canister with his teeth and pressed it against her mouth, his other hand now holding onto her head that made her beret fall off.

"Drink this," he said like a hungry dog, eying her chest. She tried to move free, but her small body was still pinned against the locker. Slowly, he tipped the canister forward, bumping her glasses to the side and releasing a toxic and burning liquid into her mouth and down her throat. She felt like she was suffocating, but swallowed it, and the consequence was a horrible burning sensation that burned the walls of her throat. She couldn't even holler without making it burn more.

The boy then took back the canister, guzzled down the rest and threw it onto the ground, and started to take off Nina's jumper.

_Father, Mr. Syme, Millis! Somebody please help me!_ Nina thought desperately. She even thought of Ponyboy. She then felt a hand climb up her leg. She closed her eyes and feared for the worst, also trying not to let her tears spill. And then…

"NINA!" sounded the voice of someone she knew. She heard footsteps running up the corridor towards her. The hand stopped climbing, and she was released from her pinned position, falling down against her locker. She couldn't open her eyes though. The shock and terror of the ordeal had left her numb. She heard yelling and a large thud as if someone was smacked, and then the footsteps of someone running away in panic.

"Hey there, you're going to be okay," said a gentle voice, almost like Ponyboy's but deeper. She felt her hair being stroked and another person sitting down besides her.

"I'll go after the …" another male voice said, calling the Soc every un-writeable name under the sun, and then his footsteps could be heard running up the hall.

"Glory, she looks as white as a ghost" said another male voice, whom she remembered the tone being of that of the boy who had snapped at Ponyboy when she bumped into him the other day.

"Nina, please say something" said the voice of the person sitting down next to her. She recognised it now as Ponyboy's. She slowly opened her eyes, and a steam of tears ran down her face. Had it been any other girl, their face would have smudged off, but Nina did not wear any make-up. She tried to say something, but it was as if her throat had swelled up and she couldn't say anything, except for make out little sobs.

"Ponyboy, you look after her. Steve and I will go after Two-Bit and that ass who did this," said that gentle voice, deeper than Ponyboy's, again. The two then ran off on Two-Bit's pursuit.

Nina turned her head and looked directly into Ponyboy's eyes, and he did the same to her. He gentle adjusted her glasses back the right way and she wiped the tears off her face. She remembered the old saying that "A lady should never been seen crying in public". Ponyboy stood up, and gently grabbed onto Nina's hand and helped her up.

"T-T-Thank you for w-what you did back there" Nina said in the most sincere way that she could, trying to do it in between sobs. Ponyboy looked at her for a moment, crouched down to get her beret and held it out to her.

"We may be different, but I'd never let a girl be treated like that" Ponyboy replied truthfully. Nina took back her beret and softly placed it back onto her head.

"I can't help think of what would have happened if you hadn't come," Nina said shivering. "I'm actually glad that it was you, and nobody else". Ponyboy's face turned red.

"You're lucky that my brother Darry dropped me and my brother off early". He felt like he had done something very heroic, which was technically true, but he also got the pleasure of seeing a Soc get smacked by his brother. They stood there for a minute in silence, and then it was broken but the 3 boys coming back down the corridor.

"Damn, he got away," said a boy wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt. Nina remembered him from the day before.

"I sure would have loved to punch him some more," said the boy who sounded like Ponyboy. He was the boy she also saw the day before with the golden hair and movie star smile. The other boy with the swirly hair leaned against a wall.

"Looks like you sure healed her back to health, eh Ponyboy" said the Mickey Mouse T-shit wearing boy with a wink. Nina looked at Ponyboy.

"Are these friends of yours?" she said in a quiet whisper. She had stopped sobbing by then, but she kept shivering from shock.

"Yeah. This is my brother Sodapop" Ponyboy answered, pointing at the boy with the golden hair, who came up to Ponyboy and gave him a noogie.

"That's Two-Bit" he pointed at the boy in the Mickey-Mouse T-shirt. "And that's Steve other there" he said, looking at the boy with the slick swirly hair.

"Thank you for helping me, I'm Nina," Nina said looking at them.

"Anything for a pretty face" said Two-Bit. Sodapop and Steve chuckled.

"I thought you only liked blondes," Sodapop said with a grin. Nina couldn't help but smile.

"A girls a girl" Two-Bit replied.

"We ought to go before more people arrive here. They'll think 'what are we doing _harassing_ a Soc like her'," Steve commented.

"Alright. Ponyboy, make she doesn't get in harms way. Bye Nina" Sodapop added and winked at his little brother. Ponyboy reddened again.

"Yup, here they come" Two-Bit said, looking down the corridor. Students had started arriving. "Don't forget to do your homework," he added, waving his index finger like a teacher did when they were cross. Ponyboy chuckled, Nina smirked and Two-Bit walked off.

"Heeey, Nina!" yelled a voice down the hall. Millis was running towards Nina, as if she thought she was in trouble. "What are _you_ doing here?" Millis asked Ponyboy.

"Millis, please, it's alright," Millis snorted and Ponyboy shrugged.

"I'll be off. Bye Nina" Ponyboy said and walked up the hall. Nina looked at him in a rueful way. "Oh, alright. I'll talk to you later Ponyboy!"

Millis looked at Nina's hair and her unbuttoned jumper.

"… What happened? DID HE HURT YOU? I'LL GET THAT PIECE OF GREASE FOR YOU!" Millis said in a stern voice, clenching her fists together. Nina raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"No, no! Millis… If I tell you this, do you promise not to tell anyone else?" Nina looked dead serious when she said that. Millis nodded, and Nina began.

"Shoot! Nina… You sure your okay?" Millis looked worried. Nina gently nodded, she had stopped shivering and the burning sensation in her throat had become a mild stinging.

"I wouldn't have been if it wasn't for Ponyboy, his brother and friends". Millis snorted.

"I guess not all greasers are bad then". Nina raised one eyebrow up.

"Like I didn't know that".

Millis walked over to the silver canister that was still on the ground and picked it up.

"I guess we just have to find whoever owns this, and then we can get him back"

"He was a Soc…" Nina looked down the corridor. Millis rolled her eyes.

"Do you think a Greaser could afford this?"

"Do you think a Greaser would have done this?" There was a deadly silence.

"I'll see you at recess" Nina waved to Millis as she headed to her maths class, they weren't in the same class for a few subjects. Millis waved and headed her own way.

During Maths, Nina met her new teacher, Ms. Bishop. She looked around 40 and was quite rotund. She favoured the Soc girls and didn't like Soc boys, or any Greaser be it boy or girl.

"Oww! Ms! Louis shot a spit ball at me!" Jessica shouted at Ms. Bishop. A few Greaser girls laughed in the background.

"Don't worry, dear. Trash like him will grow up to serve you at the counter one day. Louis, See me after class". Ms. Bishop seemed like a Soc herself.

Nina avoided getting hit by spitballs from the Greasers at the back of the classroom. At first, someone shot two at her, but then they stopped because she didn't turn around and look at them like as if they were trash, unlike Jessica and the Soc girls sitting with her who were getting bombarded. For the rest of the class, Nina stayed quite and did her work.

"No homework tonight for you girls" Ms. Bishop said pointing to Nina, Jessica and all the Soc girls. "As for the rest of you, do pages 17-20".

The bell rang and everyone was dismissed, most of Greasers muttering bad things about Ms. Bishop as they left. Who could blame them? Nina went and had a drink at the taps before she went on to English. There was a long line, and when she finally got her turn, she was pushed out before she even got a drink, so she just headed onward to English – thirsty from that liquor.

The class seemed pretty quiet when she got there; Mr. Syme was just rubbing off the work that was on the blackboard from the last class. Jessica and half of her friends were in the girl's bathroom, getting the spitballs out of their hair. When Nina sat down, Ponyboy was already sitting next to her. He looked at her and Nina smiled, saying "Thanks". He was about to reply, but then Louis at the back of the class laughed at them two, and Ponyboy went back to sitting in a 'cool' position. Nina cheerfully sighed and tried to remember her poem. She had nearly forgotten it because she was so shaken up from what had happened earlier.

The bell rung and yet Jessica and the majority of her friends hadn't arrived. Mr. Syme rolled his eyes and sat at his desk, ticking off who was present and who was absent. After that, he reminded them of their homework, looked at the roll and chose Nina to go first.

Nina stood up, still reciting the poem in her mind, and stood in front of the half absent class.

"I will be reciting Robert Frost's 'Nothing Gold Can Stay,'" she said to Mr. Syme, then looking back towards the class. She looked at Ponyboy, whose eyes were open wide. Then she started.

"_Nature's first green is gold,_

_Her hardest hue to hold._

_Her early leafs a flower,_

_But only so an hour._

_So leaf subsides to leaf,_

_So Eden sank to grief._

_So dawn goes down to day,_

_Nothing Gold Can Stay_".

What was of the little class clapped, mostly because they wanted to be clapped when their turn came. Mr. Syme smiled and asked her what she thought it meant.

"I thought it symbolized how everything is good and pure in its early stages, for example when you have just fallen asleep. You can have a good dream, and feel happier than how you do in real life. But nothing can stay good forever, and you will wake up eventually and have to face the harshness of reality." Mr. Syme looked into her eyes deeply, as if he truly understood what she was talking about, unlike most of the people in the class who had a dumbstruck expression on their faces.

"Good Work, Ms. Ambrosia. You may sit down. Since Ms. Brown is absent, it's your turn to go, Mr. Curtis"

Ponyboy got up, cleared his throat and began:

"_Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favour fire.  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To say that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice_." He stared to the back of the room and continued.

"This poem is called Fire and Ice and is by Robert Frost. I think the message is that people shouldn't be picky, and should enjoy what they have in life before they lose it". The class clapped and Mr. Syme smiled, jotting down a mark on the roll.

The remainder of the class had their go. Nicholas recited the Star Treck theme, Louis did Ba-Ba-Black sheep – threatening to jump anyone who laughed, David stood there and combined a few nursery rhymes together and one of the few Soc girls recited a slogan of the Dairy Queen. Mr. Syme seemed more pleased that everyone had a go and was more interested to hear what they thought about what they had done. Once everyone had finished, Jessica and the other girls finally arrived. They looked as if they had just had a makeover instead of removing spitballs out of their hair. Mr. Syme was probably mad, but simply wrote a note on the roll under all the girls' names and told them to see him after school. After that, they had a spelling test till the end of the class.

"Nina, wait up" Ponyboy yelled to Nina as she was heading to her locker for recess.

"I didn't know you read Robert Frost's books," he said as he caught up to her.

"Oh, Well, I have a lot of books at home. I've nearly read all of them myself; I just remember that I had his works last night. My father told me that my mother liked his works in particular." Nina replied, trying to sound modest.

"Oh, Why doesn't she read them anymore? They're good, aren't they?" Nina stopped walking and looked down at the floor.

"M-My mother died when she was giving birth to me". She said as she fiddled with her glasses. Ponyboy looked at her and frowned.

"Sorry to have brought it up. My parents several months ago in a car wreck"

"Oh… I'm sorry for your loss… I guess you live with your brothers, Sodapop and Darren?"

"Sodapop and Darrel" he corrected. "Yeah, we get along pretty good". Nina smiled.

"Anyway, yes, I do like his works. He's a very good poet." Ponyboy smiled back.

"I'm glad to hear that you think so too. Hey, we've got Chemistry later right? I'll see you there" he said, looking up the corridor. At the end stood Two-Bit, Steve and Sodapop, accompanied by a cute looking boy with jet-black hair and a dark tan.

"Yeah, sure. Bye Ponyboy" Nina waved as he walked up the corridor. Nina turned the corner and walked towards her locker. She felt pretty happy that she finally had a conversation with Ponyboy.

**

* * *

**

Alright, this chapter started getting too long, and to make it easier, ill continue it in Nothing Gold Can Stay part 2. It'll start off where this chapter ended, at recess :P

**Don't forget to review – voting if you want me to end the story fast or continue going but not perfectly linear to the book. I do care about what my readers think.**

**Thanks!**


	4. Nothing Gold Can Stay Part 2

_**Reviewing Feedback:**_

**OOoRikku4EveroOo: **I'll try, THANKS! This really is my first Fan fiction; hope I won't let you or anyone else down.

**Kal's Gal: **Sure will :P

**Bambola:** I'm going to end up having it being Linear, which will cause me to write a sequel. Not going to reveal much yet, it's all in my head. Hope you're enjoying it so far 

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**DramaticAngel:** Yay, another vote!

**Sodaschick:** And another vote!

**lady rose 05:** Good to know that ! And another vote  And yes, I will be incorporating a romance, though this is my first fanfic so I'll try and have it slow, so I don't ruin it. 

**QTpie4: **Really? I'll try!

**LiveOnTheEdge:** I do like the Greasers. It's kind of hard for me to balance them out, like how they're supposed to dislike Soc's and Soc's have to dislike them, whilst I'm making the Socs look even worse in front of their own peers.

**Timmycheese:** It's all about the reviews. They give me confidence and make me feel good about my writing skills.

**StayGold64: **Good to know that you're enjoying it, and your wish is my command!

**Disclaimer: I am not S.E Hinton and do not own The Outsiders (Well, I do own a copy of the book, muwhahah). All the characters belong to her except any characters that you are unfamiliar with, which are owned by me and any unfamiliar plot.**

**Author's Note: Alright! I've concluded on two things from these reviews. 1) You guys really want a Nina/Ponyboy relationship. Well, your wish is my command! 2) You want me to go along my way! Yay! I guess you all appreciate my writing. I'm so happy! I never thought I'd be cut out to write, especially fanfiction Oo. Sp I will write in my own way :)**

**This chapter beings where the other one left off – Recess.**

* * *

"Cherry, Do you know who this belongs to?" Nina heard Millis ask Cherry as she arrived at her locker. 

"Hmm, Looks like one of the liquor canisters that Randy and Bob drink from. I hate it when they drink. They go so wild," Cherry said with a disappointment in her voice. Nina lost herself in a train-of-thought as she tried to open her locker. Could it have possibly been Randy or Bob who tried coming on to her that morning? Nina didn't want to think that. It'd break Cherry or Marcia's heart if they knew what had happened, thankful Millis would keep her mouth shut and Nina wouldn't repeat what happened, not like anyone besides her, Ponyboy and his friends knew.

"Hey, Y'all come over to our table, okay?" Cherry said as she left for the cafeteria. Nina and Millis nodded. Millis looked at Nina.

"Hey, You okay? You look like your daydreaming or somethin'. I asked Cherry if she knew who owned this piece of shit, she only said that it resembled the liquor tins that her boyfriend and his friend drink from" Millis said, shaking Nina back to reality. Nina snapped out of it.

"Oh Sorry, I was just thinking" she said in a gloomy voice.

"You sure you're okay? You seemed pretty quite since this mornin' anyway."

Nina shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Let's go eat." And so they went off to the cafeteria.

As Nina and Millis sat down with Cherry and Marcia, two boys approached their tables. One had dark hair and wore a white and blue Madras T-shirt with a ski jacket; the other one had a semi-Beatle haircut with a light-yellow shirt and wine coloured jumper on. They went behind the girls and hugged them, who almost spat out their food with surprise.

"Oh. Hey Randy. How you doing Bob?" Marcia said to the boys. Nina looked at Millis and sighed with relief. Neither of them looked like the perpetrator who attacked her that morning. Cherry smiled at the two.

"Nina, Millis. Meet Bob and Randy." Cherry said, pointing to the boys. The boys smirked and looked at both girls.

"So you must be Nina," the boy with the dark hair, who was Bob, said as he checked Nina out. Nina immediately knew what he was doing. He was presuming from the way that she dressed that she had to be a Soc. And then he looked at Millis.

"Millis, right?" Bob said in a demeaning tone. He whispered in Cherry's ear and Nina just managed to hear what he said.

"What's a Greaser doing here?" Nina saw Millis wince. She realized that she must have heard it too. Millis didn't wear clothes that a normal Soc wore. She liked to wear earthy colours, or sometimes shirts or jackets painted rainbow. If one had to judge by her appearance, she'd probably have been labelled a Greaser/Hippy.

At Cherry's reply, Bob looked flabbergasted.

"Well, how are you freshmen coping?" Bob asked the two, not really showing much interest in a reply. Nina looked down at her lunch try. Millis quickly and sarcastically said, "Fine". Cherry and Bob and Marcia and Randy sat together, cuddling. Millis looked like she was going to throw up.

"Hey. Randy, Bob, how about we go pass a few pigskins?" said a voice that gave Nina Goosebumps. Nina slowly looked up from her lunch tray, and there stood her perpetrator.

"What's with the black eye, Josh?" Randy commented to the boy. Nina started to sweat and feel confined. She felt helpless like how she did before, pinned against the locker. Her eyes started to swell, and Millis noticed it immediately, and she realized exactly why this was happening.

"I'm sorry, I have to go!" Nina jumped from the table like a caged animal and ran off, her tears rolling down her cheeks and falling to the ground like shooting stars. Millis started at the boy, her grey eyes resembled that of a storm cloud. She grabbed the canister and threw it as hard as she could at Josh's head, which got him knocked down to the ground unexpectedly. Cherry and Marcia's mouths dropped and Millis darted after Nina.

Millis found Nina in the girl's bathroom, after about 10 minutes of searching. Nina was sitting in a cubical, crying.

"Nina, It's me Millis. Please, come out of there. You can talk it over with me," Millis said quietly so only Nina could hear, as Jessica was standing about 8 feet away at the washing sink. Nina slowly came out, and Jessica left slyly. Nina took off her glasses that had fogged up, and wiped them.

"Nina… It was him, wasn't it?" Millis said in a gentle voice. Nina looked to one side of the bathroom and then replied with a soft "Yeah".

"I can ge----"Millis was broken off by Nina.

"No. I don't want anyone to do anything." Nina said in a stern voice.

"He may have taken away my dignity, but he won't get the satisfaction of knowing".

Millis realized then that Nina truly would never be like any other Soc girl, who would have probably gotten an army to get back at Josh. Millis truly respected that.

"Thanks Millis, really." Nina said to Millis as they walked down the corridor.

"Don't mention it. I'll see you next class" Millis replied and ran off to her next subject. Millis had cheered Nina up a bit, but that ran into class time. When Nina had arrived in Chemistry, she realized that she was late. The room had 10 tables enough to fit two each. As she arrived, her teacher Mr. Todd looked a bit mad, but let her off. He saw the tear marks across her face, and told her to take a seat. There was only one seat left, and that was next to Ponyboy. She approached him and smiled, asking:

"Mind if I sit next to you?" Ponyboy looked at her and coolly replied "Yeah", but in fact, he wanted to reply " Yeah! Don't even ask next time!" He too, noticed the tear marks on her face as she sat there, opening her chemistry book. He didn't know why, but he felt like stretching out his hand and caressing her cheek, but resisted the urge when Mr. Todd spoke out.

"Alright class, the person who you're seated with will be your lab partner for the rest of the semester, and possibly the year." Nina looked at Ponyboy, and felt her cheeks burn and quickly turned back to the front of the class. This may have been her lucky day, for she did not know why, but she wanted to get to know Ponyboy more.

"Hahaha, she's stuck with him," David said to Jessica, his lab partner, who cracked up laughing. Nina didn't do anything. She was too emotional worn out, and as long as it didn't bother Ponyboy, it was fine. He was in fact, the only Greaser in her Chemistry class.

"You said your only 12 and your birthday is on Valentines Day, right?" Ponyboy asked Nina.

"Ah…. Sorry? Oh yeah, the 14th of February, why do you ask?" Nina said cheerfully, taking her eyes from her textbook.

"And you started school at 5? That means your only going to be 13 next year!"

"Ah… I was put up a grade when I was 8 and I did start a year earlier."

"Yeah, so was I. But I started school at 6."

"Wow, you sure must be smart"

"My brother Darry thinks so to and wants me to study hard so I can go to college… It was his dream. But ever since my Mom and Dad died, he couldn't and had to look after me and Sodapop" Nina looked at Ponyboy sympathetically, but tried not to show it to hard. She didn't think he'd like a Soc to give him sympathy. This made her a bit mad, because as long as she had that title, she might never get to know people outside the Socialites.

After Chemistry, Ponyboy met up with Louis, and Nina did the same with Millis as they headed to History.

The History room had a collage of cut out National Geographic pictures along the walls, and a huge blow-up atlas hanging from the ceiling. The teacher, Ms. Dona seemed very timid and simply set the work on the black board. Occasionally, she'd come around to a few people and give them a lecture on what they were studying and sometimes try and stop the Greasers in the back of the room from fighting, even though everyone could see that she was afraid of them for not a real good reason. Maybe that was just because she was a young teacher. Nina didn't get much time to talk with Millis, and couldn't talk to Ponyboy because he was sitting in the back, so she just did her work.

"Hey Ponyboy, how come I never see you at the cafeteria?" Nina said to Ponyboy as they left the classroom for lunch.

"Two-Bit takes me and my friends down to the dime store to buy food. Anyway, most Greasers don't like it in there, with all the Socs," Ponyboy replied. Nina played with her glasses a bit.

"Oh, Alright. I'll see you at Sport, Ponyboy" Nina said and Ponyboy walked off. Millis looked at Nina, whose cheeks were as red as rubies.

"Hahahaha" Millis giggled. Nina looked confused.

"Millis? What is it?"

"Nothing, Really. HAHAHAHA" Nina blushed.

"Millis, tell me!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Nina sighed and they walked to their lockers.

When they got there, Cherry was standing there, tapping her right foot in frustration.

"Millis, why did you do that?" She asked. Millis looked at Nina, who was about to say something, but didn't get the chance to.

"Because I felt like it. You should also watch how your boyfriend talks about me. Next time, I won't miss, you savvy?" Millis said, lying. Nina looked shocked. Millis simply gave back a look to her that said, "Don't say anything".

"Shoot, Millis! Poor Josh had been jumped the other night! And now you hurt him some more!" Cherry said angrily, and stormed off.

"He got jumped my foot!" Millis said to Nina.

"I guess he's told a different story… It's okay"

"No, it's not Nina! No one has the right to violate someone!" Millis almost shouted, causing a few students nearby to look at her.

"Millis… You didn't have to lie, you could have told the truth and defended yourself… Thank You" Nina said, her eyes almost at the brink of crying again.

Millis patted Nina on the back. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, and I'll keep to that promise," she whispered into Nina's ear.

Lunchtime seemed to pass quickly, at least for Nina. Millis and her were in the library, Millis doodling on her notebook whilst Nina read _Great Expectations_. Nina managed to get from page 15-65; she only snapped out of a reading frenzy when the bell rang, and quickly headed to the Gym.

The girl's in Nina's year were already there, the boys outside being tested on their fitness ability by Mr. Walker. This meant that she wouldn't be able to talk with Ponyboy. Nina and Millis got changed quickly, and had to join in a running drill courtesy of their sports teacher, Ms. Scarf. She didn't give a damn who was a Soc or a Greaser. Unless they did what they were told, she'd make them do push-ups.

"I bet she doesn't shave" sniggered Jessica to her friend about Ms. Scarf, who overheard.

"Ms. Brown, you may do 30 push-ups, NOW! The rest of you, 2 laps of the basketball court, 20 star jumps and 10 sit ups!"

The other girls did what they were told, most of the Soc girls hesitantly, and the most of the Greaser girls went back into the changing rooms to have a smoke.

After the girls did a warm-up, Ms. Scarf set up a few drills so that she could measure the girls' fitness abilities. They had to do 5 exercises: Walking across a balance beam, running their fastest around the basketball court, a standing broad jump, catching and passing a basketball without dropping it and climbing up a rope.

Nina excelled at the balance beam, standing broad jump and catching and passing – mostly due to her gymnastic and hand-eye co-ordination skills taught at her old school. Millis did exceptionally well at the dribbling a basketball, running around the basketball court and climbing a rope. Most of the girls couldn't climb up the rope, as if it was physically impossible. Two girls even collapsed whilst they were running around the basketball court, only because they were smoking earlier and couldn't breathe.

After that, the girls were allowed free time to do anything. Some stayed inside to re-do their tests, most of the girls went outside, sitting on the bleachers to watch the boys do their thing, or have a smoke, besides the fact that the Gym was stuffy. Nina and Millis went outside and like many others, sat high up on the bleachers.

Millis was laughing hysterically at the girls who were flirting with the boys – who got distracted and lost concentration whilst doing their exercises. Nina was reading _Great Expectations_ again. She had forgotten to put it away.

"Hey, why did you bring a --- Look! There's Ponyboy!" Millis started off one thing and then changed the subject, pointing down to the track course. Nina looked away from her book, and looked down onto the track. There was Ponyboy, doing a 100m sprint. He was very far ahead of his competitors.

"Man, he sure does run like a _Pony_" Millis said, cracking up. Nina thought that maybe being high up on the bleachers made to much blood rush to Millis' head. Nina watched him sprint; he looked like a professional athlete, running that fast, it looked as if he did it without putting any effort into it.

"He'll most likely get into the A-Squad track team" Nina commented, admiring the track for a moment then going back to reading her book.

Once everyone had changed from their gym clothes, the home time bell went and everyone was stocked to leave. The first week of school always did seem like a long one.

Millis and Nina walked out to the car park, ready to be picked up.

"Hey Nina, you up for going to watch a movie tonight? You can come over to my house tonight, and then we can go see something at the Nightly Double" Millis said to Nina.

"I'll have to ask my father, he'll probably let me." Nina replied. "Though, is the Nightly Double like a theatre? I haven't really been out much, I only came back from boarding school 2 weeks ago". Millis raised her eyebrows.

"I guess I'll have to show you around a bit. How about my dad picks you up at 6?"

"Alright, but let me call you first to make sure. I can hardly remember Tulsa since last summer." Nina looked out at the school gate.

"Here comes my dad," she said, pointing towards her father's blue Mustang. Millis smiled, getting out a pencil and scribbling something on a post-it.

"Don't forget to call! I'll be waiting!" Millis said to Nina ecstatically, handing her the post-it with her phone number on it. Nina grinned and waved to Millis, then entered her father's car that steadily drove off. Millis really had made her day.

"Hello Daddy, how did the inspection go?" Nina asked her Dad as they were driving home.

"Well Nina-bear, It went unexpectedly well." Replied her father. Nina smirked when he called her by her affectionate name, usually when he was in a very good mood.

"The inspector ended up having a sore tooth and got me to fix it for him. He loved the service so much that he said we passed the inspection with flying colours, and that he'd recommend his colleagues to come to me with their dental problems"

Nina looked down and smirked. Her wish had come true. He looked at her when they stopped at a red light.

"Who was that young girl who was waving to you?" he asked, referring to Millis.

"Oh, that's my friend Millis Rowett. She's my new friend." Nina replied cheerfully. Her father glanced at her and smiled. Nina usually didn't have many friends, not a lot of people ever bothered to get to know her. When her classmates at boarding school usually looked at her, they thought she was just a plain-Jane. People always judged her for what she did, usually always reading a book during lunchtime, and for how she looked – most of it had to do with her glasses.

Nina just remembered then about what she and Millis were talking about before she left.

"Umm, Daddy, do you mind if me and Millis go see a movie tonight? She's inviting me over to her house first, and then we're going somewhere called the Nightly Double to see a movie." Nina asked her dad in a quiet voice. He glanced at her from the road as if he was thinking something bad. But then he grinned happily, revealing his perfect dentists' teeth.

"As long as you have no homework, you can go out anytime, as long as you're back by 10" he replied. He was not only happy that she had made a friend, but that she also was going out somewhere, rather than her usual routine of staying at home and reading.

When they arrived home, Nina ran into the living room and phoned Millis as if she was dying to tell her something. She dialled the number, and was answered by a deep, sleepy voice.

"No ma! Tell 'er to quit it! --- Yeah, what-do-ya want?" answered the person on the other end of the phone. Nina felt shy, as if she regretted dialling the number.

"A-ah, could I please speak to Millis?" Nina asked in a squeaky voice.

"Hold on a sec" replied the person. "MILLIS, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN 'ERE!" Nina could hear a faint "I'm coming, I'm coming. Keep your hat on" in the background.

"Hello?" said another voice.

"Millis? It's Nina. My dad said that I could come over tonight". There was a loud squealing on the other end of the phone line.

"Good, good! Just tell me where you live and my dad'll pick you up." She said, getting a pen and paper. Nina told her where she lived, and Millis giggled.

"That's only 3 blocks away from me. This is going to be so much fun! And wear something wild". She sure seemed happy about all this. Nina replied with an "Ah Ha".

"Okay, Alright. I'll be waiting, yeah, bye Millis." Nina said, hanging up the phone.

Her dad was there in the living room. He told her to come over to the coffee table, where a $50 note was sitting on the table.

"Judging from that conversation, I'm guessing you're going to have some fun tonight. Here is your allowance." Her dad smiled, sitting on the couch. Nina raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief.

"$50? Isn't that a bit to m---" Nina was cut off.

"Too little right? Here's another 50" her father said cheerfully, taking out his wallet and putting another $50 onto the coffee table. Nina's eyes opened up wide.

"Don't worry, the inspector gave me a very large tip". Nina shrugged, and took the money. It seemed more like a college fund than an allowance. She usually didn't spend money on anything but books, which caused her to have a substantial amount of money hidden in her wardrobe.

Nina sat down on the couch with her father and was locked into a hug.

"My little Nina is growing up so fast" he whispered into her ear. Nina couldn't resist smiling, but at the same time thought that if growing up meant that boys would violate her, she didn't like the idea of it.

* * *

**Alright, I don't think this is my best chapter so far. Sorry if I let anyone down. Will try and make up for it in the next few chapters. The next one will involve a little rundown on Millis' past. Oh, and I'm doing the Outsiders for English right now at school, so I might sometimes not be able to post chapters up because we have work to do (had to do an essay this week – that's why there was a delay).**


	5. I'm a Greaser

_**Reviewing Feedback:**_

**Timmycheese: **Yes, she is crazy. To much work! And Nina's mum is dead .

**QTpie4: **I will try!

**DramaticAngel:** And I like your stories a lot too!

**oOoDancingQueenoOo:** Not really. You'll see in later episodes, he's kind of immature.

**lady rose 05: **I really liked your story. Poor Ponyboy :'( Still not over it ,eh. But he always will have his brothers.

**Ribellaragazza:** :D Hopefully you're not the only one looking forward to more instalments :)

**Disclaimer: I am not S.E Hinton and do not own The Outsiders (Well, I do own a copy of the book, muwhahah). All the characters belong to her except any characters that you are unfamiliar with, which are owned by me and any unfamiliar plot.**

**Author's Note: Yay, I'll keep going :D Just a note, I might not be able to update a lot over the next few weeks, we have The Outsiders to do in English, and our teacher is kind of like a work ethic banshee. To much work in a little amount of time . So I'll try and fit in writing time during it :P

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"Ahh… What should I wear?" Nina said our loud as she was looking through her wardrobe. Her clothes were filed by colour and arranged by what they were. Her father noticed that she looked frustrated as he passed her room, so he leaned against the door and got her attention by knocking on it.

"Nina-Bear, why don't you wear that nice purple dress that I bought you?" he said in a heartily manor. Nina pulled her head out of the wardrobe and sighed.

"I would, Daddy, but the weatherman was wrong about the whole day. I think he made up the temperature for today. It certainly didn't get to 60 degrees today. I think I should wear something warmer." She replied dully. Her father let out a light laugh.

"I suppose it wouldn't be a good idea for my little girl to get a cold either." He let out. He was secretly thinking of how much she reminded him of her mother – Kind, Independent and vulnerable at the same time. He smiled and walked off, leaving Nina in utter disarray.

By 5'oclock, she finally had her choice of apparel spread out on her bed. There was a forget-me-not blue sweater next to a teal coloured top and skirt. At the side of the bed were her pair of Mary-Sues – shoes for the posh and that was their motto too. First Nina went to the bathroom and washed her face and brushed out the kinkiness out of her hair. Nina didn't have any make-up, so she just pinched her cheeks to give the appearance of blush – it was a secret taught by a classmate at her old school. Nina didn't know why she was trying so hard to look good for once, maybe because she hadn't gone out with anyone in a long time.

By 6'oclock, Nina was ready and sitting down on the couch, her flowery coin purse in her hands and being squeezed by as she looked at the grandfather clock in the other room.

Finally, a car honk was heard. Nina looked out the window, and there was Millis' father's white Ford Galaxie with its top up. As Nina headed for the door, her father came downstairs and hugged her dearly. She had to get up on her tippee-toes to give him a kiss on his cheek. He farewelled her as she headed out the door.

Millis was waving out the car's window. As Nina approached, she opened the back door where she was sitting, slid over to the other side of the car and let Nina in.

"Hi Millis. Hello Mr. Rowett" Nina said in a polite voice as she buckled up her seatbelt, looking at Millis' father. He was a wide man, with almost greyish hair and a white moustache. He was wearing something that looked like a white tuxedo that matched the interior of the car and a wide cowboy hat.. Mr. Rowett looked in the rear view mirror at Nina.

"Golly, Hello there lil' Lady" he said, tipping has hat forward. "I didn't know that you had cheer leader friends, Millicent." Nina blushed and Millis gentley punched her dad on his shoulder blade. He let out a hearty laugh.

"I tol' you not to call me that" Millis said bitterly. "And Nina's not a bozo cheerleader either". Mr. Rowett raised one eyebrow as he started up the car and started driving.

"Now, now _Millis_." He said smoothly. Nina recognised the same southern accent that Millis had in his voice. "Your mother and I do think that ya'd make a good cheerleader". Nina saw Millis' hands clench in anger. Nina only saw then what she was wearing. Millis wore a red top with a maroon skirt and had one of her trademark rainbow ski jackets on top.

"We'll I don'" Millis replied. Her father grinned and looked back to the road. Millis saw how Nina was looking at her, and whispered into her ear: "My ma made me wear it. She said I had to look 'Lady Like' when I go out at night. I feel like a sleaze. " Millis said, trying to rub off some blush of her cheeks. It looked as if it was forced onto her. Millis sure did look out of place in what she was wearing.

"I'm guessing that that wasn't your definition of 'wild'," Nina inquired. Millis nodded her head.

"I was going to wear my new jeans, but my ma wouldn't let me. And why aren't you wearing anything 'wild'?" Nina grinned.

"It took me a while to get this outfit together. And if you're meaning pants, I only have one pair, and that's only for Labour Day." Millis laughed. Mr. Rowett turned around from his seat and said, "We're here". Nina just realised where she was. A big white wooden house with a green bushy garden was on the right side of the Rowett's Garage, where they were in.

Millis led Nina into their living room. It was grand and luxurious, but looked wrecked at the same time as if a drunken designer arranged the furniture. A large woman with short brown hair and a flowery apron on was in the kitchen, cooking. She heard them come in and ran to greet Nina.

"Wo! You must be Nina! Millicent has told us so much about you!" the woman said happily. Millis looked red by being referred to Millicent, and Nina didn't understand what she meant by "told us so much about you". Nina hadn't told Millis enough about her as she had told Ponyboy, and that was saying a lot. Nina looked at the woman and smiled shyly.

"Hello, Mrs. Rowett. You have such a lovely house" Nina started, looking around. Mrs. Rowett smiled with pride.

"How about I show you around some, Hun?" she said, grabbing Nina by the arm and towing her around the living room. She started showing her some photos; Millis sighed and followed Nina, as if this was a routine to do to guests.

"And this is my eldest son, Billy, and that's Rex and I on our wedding day" Mrs. Rowett went on. Nina picked up that Rex was Mr. Rowett, Billy was her oldest son and he sure did look like Millis. She kept showing pictures, even baby pictures of Millis and some other boy that were a discomfort to Millis. Nina looked at one picture, and had a question.

"Oh, Is this an oil rig where Billy works at?" Nina inquired about a picture with Billy standing next to a large steel tower on a dusty farm. Mrs. Rowett chuckled and Mr. Rowett came over.

"No lass, that's _our_ farm with _our_ oil rig" he answered. Millis looked perspired for some reason when he said that. "Millis' older brother Billy works out there in Texas. He said he didn' like being a freeloader so he looks after our employees, even though Susan said he didn't have to". There was a short silence, and then Mrs. Rowett turned to Nina.

"How about some dinner, love?" Nina was about to reply when Millis bitterly added:

"We're goin' out to the Nightly Double. We'll stop at Rusty's for a bite." Mrs. Rowett looked disappointed.

"What time do ya' need to be home by?" Mr. Rowett asked Nina.

"10 o'clock, sir" she replied. Mr. Rowett smiled.

"Alright, I'll pick y'all up then at the car park" he said. Nina replied with a faint smile and Millis rolled her eyes and took Nina up stairs to her room. On the way there, Millis' brother interrupted them. He had light brown hair and looked around 16, he had the same grey eyes as Millis and looked like the young boy from Millis' picture. He came out of his room, littered with chip packets and clothes and teased Millis.

"Woohoo. I never know you could make friends like _her_." He said winking at Nina as he slicked his hair back.

"O, Shut up Mike. She's to good for the likes of you, like all 'em girls are." Millis retorted. Nina bit her lips. She was being hit on. It may have been the true first time, besides what had happened that morning. That's what happens when you go to an all girls' school.

Millis nudged Nina off to her room, Mike stood there and mockingly waved as if she was leaving to a place far, far away.

Millis room was just as messy as Mike's, but instead of chip packets being scattered around the room, there were books. Millis bed wasn't done, her clothes were hanging off chairs and one top was hanging off the light on the ceiling. Nina tried to adjust her glasses a bit as if she couldn't focus on her surroundings. Millis saw her doing that, and sighed, making Nina sit down on a chair and closed the door.

"I guess you realise it already. I'll be 'kay if you don't want to go out now or greet me at school…" Millis said with shame in her voice, looking to a side of her room. Nina stopped adjusting her glasses and looked at Millis with concern and confusion.

"Millis, what on earth are you talking about?" Millis didn't give her eye contact, but went on.

"I won't lie to you… Please don't take me as a hypocrite. I do really like you Nina, I'll understand if you don' want to be my friend anymore". Nina frowned.

"Millis, whatever it is, you'll be my friend". Millis still kept looking in another direction.

"Nina… I'm not who you thought I was". Millis stopped and swallowed. "I'm not a Soc… I'm a Greaser". Thoughts flashed through Nina's mind, she thought she could hear Bob's voice. _"What's a Greaser doing here?"_ Nina understood now.

"Millis, I-I…" Nina stuttered. Millis went on.

"We used to live in Texas… One afternoon, dad started digging a hole to plant a tree in my ma's garden, and all of a sudden a jet of black gold rushed out of the hole… Since then, we moved here because my auntie recommended it, and my dad has been pretending to be a rich retired bank owner from Texas so that we could fit in as Socials." There was a look of sadness in Millis' eye. Nina went red, her eyes full of pity.

"Millis, Look at me!" Nina commanded. "Do I act like a Soc? Do I like being one? Hecl, I ONLY FOUND OUT YESTERDAY AND I HATE IT! I don't care if you're a Greaser or a Soc. I care who you are at heart, and whatever you are, you're my friend because of it". Nina said with finality.

Millis burst out almost in tears. It was sad seeing a nice, tough girl like her with tears in her eyes. Nina went over to Millis, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, and gave her a hug. Millis was breathing deep heavily. She whispered into Nina's ear "I'm sorry if I sound like a hypocrite, with me disproving of Ponyboy and all". Nina coughed gently.

"It's alright, Millis. I'd have probably done the same if you were me and I was you".

They sat there in Millis' room and talked till half past 7. Then they finally decided to go out. Millis grabbed her allowance and Nina and Millis set off to the Nightly Double, Nina waved to Mr. And Mrs. Rowett as she left the their residence.

"Do you still feel up for Rusty's?" Millis asked Nina. Nina shook her head.

"I don't mind. I think it seems a bit of a hassle now anyway, we could always eat popcorn. By the way, why didn't you want dinner at your house?"

"My ma' would have just have gone on how she's married to a retired banker and probably tell some stories about me, Mike and Billy. Besides, I'm still a bit mad that she didn't let me wear my jeans" Millis said with a sigh.

Nina and Millis walked down the street till they reached the Ribbon, an area with 2 laned streets and shops on every corner. There were Socs drag racing on the streets, greasers picking up girls at the corner of the Dairy Queen. Millis lead Nina down the Ribbon that leaded down to the Nightly Double. As they were walking, Millis was pointing out places of interest such as the bowling ally, Rusty's that had a large flashy billboard with bright lights and the interior was furnished with leather and velvet seatings and polished wooden tabled. The place seemed like a sort of nightclub, full of rich kids, playing darts and betting on snooker. Millis was also pointing out places like shopping malls, clothes stores (mostly ones that sold jeans) and dime stores. Nina was also telling Millis about her boarding school days, how her mother had died giving birth to her and about a few books that she wanted to read. Millis exchanged stories of how she used to get into fights in Texas, and how they'd been living in Tulsa for the last 5 years.

"You'd think I'd 'ave lost my accent by now, but nosirybob".

By the time they got to the Nightly Double, it had gotten to 8 o'clock. Millis and Nina payed for their entrance fee, a quarter since they weren't in a car. The clerk at the ticket booth had a hard time giving Nina back her change from her $50 note. Millis laughed impatiently.

Once they were inside the drive in, they went to the concession stand and got themselves some popcorn. Millis got herself a coke and Nina bought herself some lemonade. Then they went over to the seating area, sat down and realised that they were watching "Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine". It was a movie about a Dr. who made a machine that made robot women who married rich men and got them to give all their assets over and the Dr. ended up getting them. Millis and Nina laughed, like many of the other people who were actually watching the movie, besides a few young boys who were fighting in the background.

"Vincent Price is a genius!" Millis roared with laughter. Nina nodded, sipping on her lemonade. She went to pass Millis some popcorn, and ended up dropping her purse on the ground. She turned around and looked under her seat, then a hand stuck out with her purse in their hand.

"Oh, Thank you si---" Nina looked up at the hands owner.

"Good Evening Ponyboy!" she said in a cheerful voice, flicking her hair to her left side. Millis turned around and looked.

"Hi Nina" he replied, handing her the purse. Millis turned around from the film.

"Oh, 'ey Ponyboy and uhhh" Millis said with a handful of popcorn in her mouth. There was a dark-skinned boy wearing denim sitting next to Ponyboy, and Nina realised it just then.

"This is Johnny" Ponyboy pointed towards the boy. Johnny nodded his head and kept looking at the movie.

"I didn't see you when we sat here" Nina said to Ponyboy.

"We just got here" he replied. Nina saw that him and Johnny had no popcorn or drinks yet, and then she looked back at Millis' supply – it was almost out. Maybe they should have gone to Rusty's.

"I'm going to go get some food, Johnny" Ponyboy said standing up. Millis nudged Nina.

"Oh, I'll come. We're running out on snacks" Nina said hastily, following Ponyboy. Millis turned towards Johnny.

"Soo… How are you liking the movie?"

"I saw you on the track earlier. Your very fast!" Nina complimented Ponyboy's track ability.

"I guess, the coach did put me into the A-Squad track team" he replied.

"Yeah, I'd thought he would. You beat the others by a mile". Ponyboy's face turned red.

"That'll be a dollar and 3 quarters," said the lady at the concession stand. Nina took out a 5-dollar bill and handed it to the lady. She was handed back the change and picked up the drinks and large popcorn. Ponyboy had bought 2 drinks and 4 candy bars. As they walked back, Ponyboy told Nina about his brothers. How Sodapop was happy-go-lucky and worked part time at the DX gasoline station and how Darry had to get two jobs to support his brothers.

"Darry sure seems heroic" Nina pointed out. Ponyboy nodded.

"Yeah, my dad used to say he was a real 'chip of the old block'. I never knew what the meant anyway." Nina smiled.

"He does his best to make sure we don't get into trouble. He can be nice sometimes, but usually he's only telling me what to do. If I'm studying, I should be out playing football. If I'm playing football, I should be studying."

When Nina and Ponyboy got back to the movie, they saw that Millis and Johnny were sitting next to each other. Nina sat down next to Millis, and Ponyboy sat next to Nina. They passed the popcorn, candy bars and drinks around. Nina asked Millis what they were doing.

"We were just talking about the movie. Johnny said that the girls in the movie reminded him of a girl named Sylvia or something". Millis whispered in Nina's ear. They continued to watch the movie. During the half time, Nina told Ponyboy how she barely remembered her neighbourhood, as she had only spend about 22 weeks in total being in Tulsa during her holiday breaks since she was 5. The rest of the time, she was at St. Mary's, out in the country. Ponyboy asked her if she liked the country. She nodded her head.

"I loved it. I'm not too sure why. But I loved the sunrises there. The sky would turn all golden and silver. That poem sure reminded me of it. Also, it was really quiet and peaceful." Ponyboy looked up at her and smiled.

"I've only been out to the country a few times when my parents were alive. We'd go fishing and duck hunting. My mum made the best apple pies with the apples that we bought out there," he said. The memories made him seem very cheerful. The rest of the movie went by interrupted, except for a few kids who were fighting and one car accidentally crashed into another's rear.

"Hey Ponyboy, do you want to catch up on Saturday?" Nina asked Ponyboy as they left their seats. He looked at her.

"Yeah sure, I have nothing better to do. Do you know where Pickett and Sutton is?" he replied. Nina titled her head to the side in thought.

"Ahhhh…. Oh yeah, I saw it on our way here. It's by the Ribbon, right?" Ponyboy nodded.

"We can meet somewhere else if you want", he said. Nina shook her head.

"No, that's fine. Goodnight Ponyboy" Nina said, as Millis and her headed towards Mr. Rowett's parked car.

"How was the movie, girls?" Mr. Rowett asked as he drove Nina home.

"It was okay" Millis replied.

"It was interesting" Nina said.

"I remember back when I was young, the only movies we had were in black and white" he said.

"Hey Millis, Pickett and Sutton is by the Ribbon, right?" Nina asked Millis.

"Yeah, I showed it to you, didn't I?" she answered.

"You're going out with Ponyboy?" Millis asked, cocking one eyebrow.

"N-n-no. We're just catching up. That's all" Nina said, playing with her glasses. Millis started laughing.

"Millis… umm… Are you and Johnny going out?" Nina said. Millis stopped laughing.

"What? No!" she said hastily. It was Nina's turn to laugh.

"Thank You for the ride, Mr. Rowett" Nina said to Mr. Rowett as she got out of his car and stepped onto her drive way.

"Any time, lil lady" he replied, tipping his hat.

"Goodnight Mr. Rowett. See you tomorrow Millis!" Nina yelled waving as their car drove on.

She then walking into her lightened up house, ready to go to sleep.

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**Oo, I made a mistake with the Year. Right now it's 1965, It turns to 1966 after December, and that's the year that the stuff in the book is set in :P.**

**By the way, Credits go to Jenn K from The Official Outsiders Book and Movie website and forum for answering some questions on where the book was set, what HighSchool Ponyboy/S.E Hinton went too, what the years are called in America and what a Dime-Store was :P Thanks Jenn!**


	6. When You Sleep In

_**Reviewing Feedback:**_

**oOoDancingQueenoOo: **Yes, I checked Chronologically :P Cuz if it was in 1966, then Bob would be dead lol.

**lady rose 05: **Thanks, I thought it was kind of bad because I'm getting writers block.

**QTpie4: **Really? Thanks :D I'll try, like I said in between school.

**DramaticAngel: **Great to know that, bad if you really have a teacher like mine. Well, In 3 weeks we switch teachers because we're going to do Holes in English. By the way, I looove Witches in Tulsa. You changed Bring Me to Life to Witches in Tulsa 2. Oh, and I was Zaperking, the one who reviewed it. That was before I made an account here :P

**Timmycheese:** Lol, I said it was sad to see her cry. :P You tell me who I should pair her up with, though I have my own idea. Let's say it's a betrayal for all that she stands for. 

**TheAngryPrincess13:** Trying my best.

**sweetypie15:** I'll try, I'm awefully busy :P

**EbonyDayDreamer:** I read your story. I like it too :P

**Disclaimer: I am not S.E Hinton and do not own The Outsiders (Well, I do own a copy of the book, muwhahah). All the characters belong to her except any characters that you are unfamiliar with, which are owned by me and any unfamiliar plot. AND S.E HINTON BELONGS TO HERSELF, OKAY?**

**Author's Note: Still got homework and having a bit of writer's block. Trying not to let my writing slip. Enjoy Chapter 6. There's an easter egg in it :P Also, I had to replace Chapter 1, 2 and 4. Main reason : Ages and Dates. Since this is in 1965, Nina is actually 12, Ponyboy is 13, Darry only turns 20 in 1966, Ponyboy turns 14 like in July 1966, according to the book. So I just edited it, otherwise it wouldn't make sense saying that Ponyboy went up a year if he's going to be the same age as everyone else, and Nina started earlier, and was put up yet is only 1 year younger. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

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"Uhh, W-what time is it?" Nina said yawning as she woke up the next day. The sun was shining brightly in between the curtain cracks. She placed her hand onto her night table, feeling for her clock.

"7 o'clock!" she exclaimed as she looked at the clock, jumping out of bed and running into her father's bedroom. The bed was done and there was a hint that someone had dressed there earlier. She descended downstairs and walked into the kitchen. Her father was having breakfast, eggs and toast with tea. As she came in, he raised his teacup at her.

"Good morning dear, how did you sleep?" he said, biting his toast with his other hand.

"Uhh Dad, why didn't you wake me up earlier, and why aren't you at work already?" she said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"You looked so peaceful in your sleep, hunny" he replied, standing up to get Nina a plate with her eggs and toast already done. He instructed her to sit down, got her a fork and knife and handed it to her.

"My first client is at 10o'clock so I thought you could sleep in, especially after last night. You walked in and went straight to bed. You must have been really tired," he said, making Nina some tea with lemon. Nina nodded her head in agreement.

"I did have P.E yesterday" she added, cutting the egg in tiny pieces and chewing on them. Her father asked her how the previous night had been.

"Oh, It was really fun. First Mrs. Rowett showed me around her house, and then Millis and I walked up the Ribbon to the Nightly Double. There I met a friend from class, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny, and we watched Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine" she said, happily munching on her toast.

"My, that's a strange name" her father replied.

"What is?" she asked. She thought he was talking about the name of the movie.

"That child's name." Her father said, looking up from his tea mug as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"I rather like it. It's unique for one, and has it's own personality" Nina sipping on her tea.

Her father smiled at her, and they continued eating their breakfast.

Nina arrived to school at a normal time. Her father dropped her off and handed her a chequered red and blue cardigan as she exited the car. It was cold that morning.

Millis greeted Nina as she walked up to her locker. Nina politely replied with a greeting and got out her books. She was thinking about last night still, but was interrupted by the sound of Millis' teeth rattling.

"Millis, here" Nina said as she handed Millis her cardigan. Millis looked as if she dressed hurriedly, wearing black sneakers, jeans and a T-shirt and her hair was simply tied back. Millis took it without hesitation and put it on.

"My Ma slept in and didn't wake me up. Mike couldn't be bothered waking up to come today" she said, wondering how cosy Nina must be in her woolly white top, her grey knee length skirt and white stockings. Nina smiled and nodded, explaining that her father thought that she should have slept in, otherwise she'd have been at school earlier.

Wednesday's first class for Nina was Geography, run by Mr. Roddrick. The only people Nina recognised in the class besides Millis was David and Louis, and surprisingly Johnny. Mr. Roddrick talked and didn't give any work out. He was talking about his ideas about some sort of global pressure cooker, something to do with C20 releases that could change the temperature of the planet. Nina asked Johnny what he was doing in a freshman class. He said that was kept down a year, same with Two-Bit. Geography would be the only class that Johnny and Nina would see each other in. That and Sport.

After Geography was Maths. Ms. Bishop was her normal self, handing detentions to the Greasers and praising Jessica, Nina and the other Soc girls. Ms. Bishop came up to Nina and stamped her book, saying that she could become an Architect with her great understanding of length and plotting out the number plane. Jessica sat next to Nina that period and copied her work. Nina didn't approve of it, but there was nowhere else to move to.

At recess, Nina and Millis were invited over to Jessica's table in the Cafeteria. Marcia was eying Millis from afar where she sat with Cherry, Bob and Randy.

Jessica was going on about how she was already planning a Halloween Party at her house, which was over 6 weeks away.

"Sadly, Daddy is making me invite those no-goods." Jessica stated about the Greasers.

"He said it would look bad on him and me if we weren't fair to everyone, otherwise I wouldn't have them there". Millis grunted at that. Nina was placed into a conversation over what she was wearing. Jessica's friends were asking where she bought her clothes, for they wanted them. Nina shrugged and said that her father bought them for her. They giggled and asked if Nina wanted to go shopping with them on Sunday.

"I-I can't. I have church on Sundays." They looked at each other, and looked back at her.

One pretty blonde with curly hair wearing a blue blouse said:

"Fine, waste your time there if you want". She looked to old to be a freshman. She turned out to be a Mariah Lowan, a sophomore and a family friend of Jessica's. The others laughed and continued talking about each other's clothes. Millis was busy arguing with Jessica over her own fashion sense. Nina looked down at her lunch tray and blushed. She didn't like the conversation.

Nina got irritated and left Millis there after a while. As she walked back to her locker, she saw Ponyboy up ahead standing with Sodapop and Johnny. Soda nudged Ponyboy and waved to Nina.

"Hey there!" he said, pushing Ponyboy in front.

"Good Morning Sodapop." She replied, looking at him. "You too, Ponyboy and Johnny".

"Why aren't you sitting with those friends of yours?" said Steve who came out of a room.

Nina looked down at her feet for a moment, then looked up and flicked her hair to one side.

"They may be my friends, but that doesn't mean I like idle chatter…" Steve smirked at that remark.

"Nina, What'cha doing ov—HEY SODAPOP!" squealed Mariah, running up the corridor up to Sodapop. Ponyboy and Johnny backed off.

"What's my handsome man doing today?" she said, jumping up and down.

"I'm not _your_ man" Soda replied smoothly.

"Now, now. You don't have to be shy in front of your…_friends_" she replied, glaring at Steve, Ponyboy and Johnny with contempt. Steve didn't want to join in so he snuck back into the room that he was in before Johnny followed but Ponyboy stayed with Nina.

"I reckon we should get outa here," he whispered to her. Nina nodded and they crept off, listening to Mariah talk to Sodapop as if they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

"I didn't know your brother was going out with… well… a 'Soc'" Nina said, remembering the whole Soc and Greaser situation, not understanding how Steve – Soda's best friend would consent to him having a Soc for a girlfriend. Ponyboy laughed.

"He's not. Mariah reckons he does because a lot of guys have been asking her out over the summer holidays. She thinks she's good enough to have my brother. She even kept coming over and visiting at the DX where he works all round summer.". Nina raised one eyebrow. They continued walking on. Ponyboy stared at a girl wearing yellow as they walked past her. His ears reddened but then turned back to normal when Nina stopped.

"It's a cold day today. Are you sure you're warm enough in that?" Nina remarked at Ponyboy's T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Nina could see the Goosebumps on his arms, most likely because they were standing near the breezy front door. Nina put her hand down her jumper and plucked out woolly blue scarf that was concealed earlier. She handed it to Ponyboy and smiled. He was hesitant but decided to take it.

"Thanks" he said. Nina placed the scarf in his hands, and in doing so, touched them. She felt a tingle run through her body. Ponyboy felt it to and jumped back.

"Ahh, must be the static from the scarf rubbing against my jumper," she said shyly, digging her foot into the ground. Ponyboy placed the scarf loosely around his neck.

Suddenly the bell rang and Nina looked up at Ponyboy. She thought that scarf matched his greenish-greyish eyes, which seemed to look blue in the light – maybe a reflection of the actual scarf. Ponyboy gave Nina a confused look. It was then that she realised that she was blushing, again.

"O-oh. Time to get our textbooks for the next two periods. We h-have English next, so I'll see you there" Nina said dazedly. Ponyboy nodded and walked her back down the corridor to the corner where she turned towards her locker, and he continued on.

"Nina, I'd like you to stay after class" Mr. Syme directed at Nina, as the rest of her English class anticipated for 4th period bell to ring. As it rang, the rest of the class left, some thought that Nina was introuble, even though she had done nothing to make it seem that way. Nina approached Mr. Syme's desk with her textbooks in one hand.

"Nina, You are awfully bright for my class" he started. "If you ever want extra work, that can be arranged. I do enjoy it when my students take the initiative to better themselves". Nina nodded. "Sure thing, Mr. Syme. And your Book Club is on at lunch time today, right?" It was Mr. Symes turn to nod. "I'd expected that you'd be interested," he said with a cheery grin. Nina grinned back "I look forward to it" she replied and excused herself to her next class.

4th period was Social Studies with Mrs. Harrison again. She paired the students up and made them write down and discuss ways that the Civil War could have been avoided. Nina was with Nicholas, and she didn't seem to mind. He knew almost everything that was required for her to have known about the Civil War, so she just jotted down anything that he wrote. On the other hand, Millis was stuck with David. The class was sometimes interrupted when Millis and David bickered, and it wasn't even about the Civil War. Whatever they were talking about, Nina could see the vein on Millis' forehead pumping with blood, and David was red and turned his back to her.

"I have to eat fast," Nina said, as she quickly started to munch at Wednesday's mystery meat special. She did it gracefully though, even though she was in a rush.

"W-why" Jessica interrupted between slurps of her orange juice.

"Book Club" Mariah blatantly said. Millis rolled her eyes.

"And shouldn't you be hanging out with the sophomores?" Millis said.

"I will. I'm just waiting for Sodapop" she replied.

"Oh yeah. You're so lucky to be his girlfriend," said a girl sitting next to Jessica.

"Nah ah, He's the lucky one" said Millis with sarcasm. Nina told her what had happened during recess. Mariah gave Millis a dirty look and turned back towards the rest of them.

"Finally. All right, bye girls, bye Millis" Nina said, picking up her lunch tray and walking off.

"It's good to see that you could make it" Mr. Syme said to Nina as she sat down at the Book Club table, situated in the Library. There was already a girl sitting down on the opposite side of the table, writing down notes in her book.

"This, Nina, is Susan Eloise H—"

"No need for formalities, Sir." Said Susan, still continuing to write.

"Oh, Hi, I'm Nina" she said, taking a seat at the table.

"Yeah, I got it. Good to see that the freshmen are getting involved in extra curricular activities" Susan said.

"Susan is a junior," Mr. Syme added. "And one heck of a writer. What's the current story that you're writing about, Susan?"

"I haven't even given it a name yet. Probably The Insiders, The JDs. I'm not sure yet." She said.

"I hope I'm not late" Nina heard someone murmur. A girl with braces, dressed in yellow, was standing behind her. It was the same girl that Ponyboy had stared at earlier that day.

"Hello Cathy. Take a seat. This here is Nina, and that's Susan. Nina, Susan, meet Cathy." Mr Syme introduced the girl.

"Yeah, Hi" said Susan, putting her left hand up and waving it, as her right hand wrote. Nina simply smiled and said "Hello".

The Book Club went by pretty fast. Mr. Syme asked the 2 freshmen girls what style of books they liked. Nicholas was reading 2 tables away with 2 friends. Mr. Syme asked if they would like to have joined, but he declined. He was really shy.

"Alright Girls. I'd like you to read 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' by next week, and then we can discuss it" said Mr. Syme, handing the three girls copies of the books.

"Hoping to see you next week," he said as the girls stood up.

"Yes Sir" Cathy said.

"Of course, Sir. I wouldn't miss it" Nina said.

"It's a date, Sir" Susan said. And they all left the Library for their last classes of the day.

That afternoon, Nina had Ms. Bishop again. The class went slowly, and no body talked during the lesson. Ms. Bishop looked a bit mad for some reason, probably aggravated from her last class before lunch. All she did was set some maths on the blackboard and sat at her desk, reading a book with a Pirate ripping off a woman's top on the cover.

After that, Nina had Chemistry again with Mr. Todd, Same seats as before. Mr. Todd got them to open their science textbooks to a page about different types of rocks. Igneous, Metamorphic, Plutonic, Sedimentary etc. Every pair got some gear and they had to recreate their own sedimentary rocks in a vial by mixing sand, gravel, and dirt with water then letting it all settle. After that, they wrote up a practical report and answered some questions from their textbooks.

After class, Ponyboy went up to Nina and handed back her scarf.

"Thanks. It's pretty snug," he said. Nina giggled.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so". That's all she could say. She kind of didn't know what to say next. Ponyboy scratched his chin and lifted his eyebrows.

"Well, Two-Bit is probably waiting to drive me and Johnny home. See ya" he said.

"See you tomorrow" Nina replied, walking off in her direction and catching up with Millis.

They walked to the front of the school, where they both saw their Dads talking to eachother, and laughing.

"How about I come roun' for a check up? I haven't seen a dentist in a long while" Mr. Rowett said to Nina's father. He laughed and said "Sure, that's my job" and they shook hands.

"Here they come," added Nina's father. Mr. Rowett smiled as Millis came.

"There she is, my Millicent". Millis clenched her fist.

"So you must be Millis, and you look as how I had imagined" Nina's father said.

Millis unclenched her hands and scratched her head, smiling.

"Howdy Nina. You and Millis had a good day?" Mr. Rowett said in the most southern accent possible. Nina looked over at Millis, and then nodded her head.

"Yes sir." She said politely. Mr. Rowett laughed heartily.

"How 'bout you and Nina come over tomorrow night for dinner, 8'oclock" asked Mr. Rowett.

"Sure thing" replied Nina's father. And after 5 more minutes of conversation, both parties headed home.

"Millis' father is quite the southern gentleman" Nina's father said with a laugh. Nina looked out the window at the sidewalk, and was thinking about Saturday more than tomorrow night.

**

* * *

Hopefully you spotted that the easter egg was. Anyway, I'll try and write chapter 7 soon. I'm starting a job at McDonalds soon, and it's nearly the end of the term which means I'll be getting like 5 projects to do at the same time, so forgive me if it takes me till the end of December/early January to post the next chapter.**


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